Being Artsy in Mosow

Today we all got up and got out butts on the metro at 10am for a group excursion meeting at the Novokuznetskaya metro station platform. At the time of our walk, it was already 80 degrees. Combined with the concrete jungle that is Moscow, this was brutally hot. But we pressed on! At 11:30, we arrived at the State Tretchikoff Gallery in the center of Moscow. The gallery is known for it's wide collection of masterpieces. In fact, it is said that the Tretchikoff has more masterpieces per a square meter than any other gallery in the world! The paintings were stunning, in both their size and craft! We ditched the guided tour and hit up the Last 19th and 20th Century painting exhibits. My favorite piece was one called "Roses in a Blue Vase," which I have so far failed at finding a copy of online. Oh the irony of beautiful but forgotten Russian art! (P.S. I took pictures of the gallery from the outside, but my camera is arguing with that theory and seems to have deleted them...)

After the Tretchikoff Gallery, Hannah and I headed around town to find the Fallen Monument Park, which houses hundreds of fallen/displaced statues from the Soviet Union. Ice cream in hand, we walked past the Red Square and the Kremlin (which are prepping for a Formula 1 race tomorrow) and down the banks of a small river. The garden itself is very unassuming and free! We wandered around taking in the mix of modern and classical sculpture. Some pieces had been pulled from the city, others were comments on parts of society such as the Gulag period. The park is also a really good excuse for you to take stupid pictures with the 8 billion Lenin busts around every other corner. As one would expect, hilarity and amazement ensued.

The only dignified picture of the day, we're classy ladies!

Soviet Union, anyone?

USSR provokes serious ponderings...

Chillin' with Lenin and Stalin

Lenin brings all the girls to the yard

Me and Dzerzhinsky, founder of Secret Police

On the way home, dripping in Moscow scented sweat (never a pleasant experience), we saw a few cool things like.......

Hey guys, look another cathedral!

Delegation to the European Union!

Anddd the French Embassy!

All in all, it was an epic if not insanely hot day. Considering the fact that we had ice cream twice and drained a two liter bottle of water on the way home, I'd say it was a great success. And now that we've had our daily it's-too-hot-to-move nap, it's time to party! Hey, it's Saturday night in Moscow!

Love and hugs to all! xoxo

(States Countdown: 3 weeks)